As a content creator/influencer, a large portion of my day-to-day work consists of creating content. Emphasis on creating. It’s hard to create when you don’t feel creative, or when you’re lacking inspiration. Instagram Stories are easy—they’re a behind the scenes look into my life and work, so it’s much simpler to create content there when it’s really just capturing what’s truly going on around me, raw and unfiltered. It’s permanent content (think in-feed posts and videos, TikToks, blog posts, and other long-form content like YouTube) that can really weigh me down. My goal is always to provide useful, valuable content to my audience. To motivate, educate, entertain, and connect. Whether it’s sharing the tangible tips that helped me win Gold at the Olympics or my favorite lip combination at the moment, as long as I feel like I’m providing value through one of those pillars, I’m happy to create that content and to put it out into the universe.
Inevitably, as a creator, there are times when I don’t feel inspired to create content that hits those pillars. I wonder, What value do I have left to provide? It’s during those times that you might notice me somewhat absent from social media. And while I feel bad about not showing up for all of you, I know that, during those moments, I need to step back and work through my processes to find my creativity and inspiration again.
So, if you’re also in a creative role, here are my tips to sparking creativity. I hope you find them as helpful as I do!
1. Get Off Instagram. It’s easy to compare your content to other creators’ content, and while it may be helpful to use Instagram to gain inspiration here and there, it’s more likely that it will continue your spiral.
2. Get Outside. There is nothing more inspirational to me than nature. The combination of Vitamin D, fresh air, and green trees does wonders for the soul, and for the mind. Perhaps it’s just the fact that I’m stepping away from my desk and the immediate stressors that lie there, but the outdoors always get my creative juices flowing.
3. Get on Pinterest. Ok, I know I said get off of social media, but hear me out: Pinterest is SO COOL. It’s where I get a ton of ideas because it’s a low pressure environment that doesn’t make it all about WHO is posting, or how many likes the content is getting.
4. Change Your Location. Something as simple as changing the place you’re working from can be huge difference maker. In the era of WFH, I’ve even been known to book a super cute Airbnb on a whim and set up camp in a totally new environment. If that’s not feasible, move to a place in your home with the most natural light and start there.
5. Exercise. When my body is feeling stagnant, my mind tends to follow. Carving out some time for movement and focusing on just that—the movement, releases happy hormones in your brain and almost works to reset your nervous system.
6. Have a Strict Schedule. This may seem counterintuitive to the free flowing nature of creativity, but sometimes putting a deadline on your calendar or a specific day for content creation can light a fire under you. I typically schedule my content by category for certain days of the week so I know what to expect and can plan accordingly.
